Grand Mal Seizures Can Lead To Social Security Disability Benefits

Grand mal seizures involve the whole body and a loss of consciousness often occurs along with muscle contraction and stiffness. Grand Mal seizures also called tonic-clonic seizures occur due to electrical disturbances within the brain of a person. The severity and type of symptoms experienced by each person largely depends on the part of brain being affected by such disturbances of electrical charges within the brain.

The exact cause of Grand mal seizures is still unknown. However, past head injuries, brain tumors, strokes, infections involving brain tissue, and even extreme low levels of glucose, calcium, or sodium may lead to such seizures.

There are a wide variety of symptoms of grand mal seizures depending on what part of the brain is affected by abnormal electrical disturbances. Here are some of the commonly seen symptoms of people who suffer from grand mal seizures:
• Muscle stiffness
• Rapid heart beat
• Falls
• Whole body spasms
• Jerking muscles
• Biting the tongue
• Frothing at the mouth
• Urination
• Rolling back of Eyes
• Clenched teeth and jaw
• Confusion
• Headache, weakness, confusion, and loss of memory after a seizure episode is over

Symptoms in some but not all patients include a warning feeling (aura) before a grand mal seizure, a scream, or unresponsiveness after convulsions. People who are present around a person undergoing a grand mal seizure should first call for medical help, and then gently roll the person onto one side. Avoid putting anything in the mouth, and do not try to restrain movements during a seizure.

A number of complications are associated with grand mal seizures including: biting of the tongue and inside the cheeks, and injury while falling or during uncontrolled body movements. Joint dislocations, fractures, head injuries, and other such injuries may occur after these individuals fall down. More injuries may result due to extensive uncontrolled movements during grand mal seizure episode.

Individuals with a history of grand mal seizures are recommended not to swim, drive, or operate equipment. Most doctor’s give people written notice advising them not to drive if they are in treatment for seizure disorders.

People with a history of grand mal seizures can win Social Security Disability or SSI disability benefits depending on functional limitations due to this medical condition and the frequency of their seizures. There is a listing for seizures within Social Security’s blue book of listed impairments. The listing discusses the frequency of seizures despite sustained treatment (usually anticonvulsant medication) that a person needs to be suffering from to win their benefits. The seizure listing however is not the only way someone with seizures can win disability benefits. The law also allows Social Security Administrative law judges (ALJs) to consider if the person could sustain full time work over the long run. When considering this issue even if your seizures are not at a listing level they could be bad enough to not allow sustained competitive work.

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I am already disabled. It started with mental illness following my brother’s suicide. Then I lost my sister. I have no colon, just had surgery for cancer of my liver, many surgeries… several broken bones, esophageal tear resulting in more surgery, a ventral hernia surgery,head injuries, just fell and broke my 10th rib on the left back side, degenarative disc disease, passing out, not knowing what happened. I was in Prescott visiting my parents. Last night I took pain meds, morphine, diluadid, xanax, soma and other drugs that I have been taking for many years. Since I broke my rib, I noticed my back pain tripleled. I have had liver cancer…surgery with a resection fixed me last October.My Hepatitis C I have had for 39 years. I had gone through 4 chemo tratments, and now I have to do the chemo for the 5th time. Thid time there is a triple treatment. Interferon, ribovirin and the newest drug, Incevik which is helpful for my genotype 1a. I have to do it again because my viral load is so high that it gave me cancer. I alse have barretts esophagus which is a pre cancerous treatment. I have regular EGD”s about every 6 months, biopsies for my liver, but I have been passing out for years, I guess, because I fall asleep on the couch and can hardly get up…then I fall and had many head injuries. I was so bad one night that I had to call 911 beecause I felt like I was dying. They had to break down my door and broke it…by that time I was unconsious and the paramedics intubated me and there was blood everywhere on my carpet. The hospital they took me to were unable to diagnosis my torn eshagphagus. I waited 2 days to go to another hospital where the sugreon was not even. Last night I was in Prescott visiting my parent’s and my dad is an old doctor. I was fine and took my meds, and my mother found me on the floor ….head, neck and arms shaking unconsiously. They had to lift me and put to bed. I live alone and I believe that this has been happening for years. I already have SSI and disability. I am getting ready to go on the triple treatment soon, and I suffer from Bi-Polar disorder. I am getting very scard. I am alone with my puppy and she shys away from me after I have an episode. I had a major seizure when I was 19 yrs. old.
I don’t have much else to say unless I would have to tell you all of my major surgeris….19 + 4 rounds of chemo. I need help. Last night I was totally fine and I assumed that I only fell asleep on the couch…but my mom discovered my body on the floor convusing.
Yes, I must take pain meds for my neck and back, but I didn’t notice that I must have been seizing for a couple of years…about as long as I had liver cancer. I am frightened.
Carol Sacca songlake@cox.net (602) 997-8038

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